Chapter 8
"Senjo, time to greet the morning," Naiteki's soft voice reached her ears. The redhead opened her eyes to see her mother's all-too-perky smile only inches away.
"Don't want to."
"You can dream about Kurai later. Right now you have a mission." Turning away from the bed, Naiteki paused a moment before catching the pillow aimed at her head.
"Mother, you can be so annoying sometimes," Senjo grumbled, sitting up and reaching for her clothes.
"That's merely a defense when dealing with you and your brother. Now come on, your father's making pancakes." Senjo dressed in a flash and was seated at the table before her mother had even left her room. Seishin was at the stove, whistling as he added more pancakes to an already impressive stack on the table. Both of her parents were wearing their Jounin vests, and her father was even wearing the full head covering that made him look bald.
"You have a mission today?" she asked, reaching for a pancake.
"My rotation came up to guard the Kazekage with my squad, and I'm looking forward to it. An easy mission, for once."
"He seems like a decent man," she agreed.
"When compared to the former one, anyone would be decent."
"Seishin, don't speak ill of the dead. He was our leader, good, bad, or indifferent," Naiteki scolded as she took her seat.
"I'll go with bad," Inkei spoke up between bites. "He was the one who made us attack Konoha."
"That was a disaster," Seishin agreed. "I think I still have bruises." Senjo paused with her fork halfway to her mouth.
"You went on the invasion?" she asked softly.
"Almost the whole village went," Inkei told her. "Mom had to stay here along with a few of the other clan leaders, but everyone else got to go."
"From what I heard, it wasn't as easy as we were made to think," Naiteki added, looking at her husband.
"I'll say. We didn't see too much resistance right away, but then all their high-level ninja just seemed to come from nowhere. Quite a few of us surrounded this one guy, but he just spun in a circle, forcing his chakra at us. I blacked out, and when I came to, it was all over. I'll tell you, Konoha has some pretty powerful families."
"At least you managed to come back alive," Senjo said. "I heard we lost almost half our active force."
"Correct. There was a tactical retreat called, but I don't think anyone got the chance to. If it hadn't been for our rather hasty surrender, I think I would've been a prisoner of war for a lot longer. You were back too late to know any of this, Senjo. I don't even think you were properly briefed on the situation."
"Not really. We came home, were told we were being sent to Konoha, and that was it. I know Kohaku managed to talk to Temari about a few things, but that's all."
"Speaking of briefing, what's this new mission you're on?" Naiteki wondered, pouring herself a cup of coffee.
"Oh, that's right! It's a bit of a long story, but I'll give you the condensed version. The other day we encountered two strangers in Konoha, and Kurai-kun was told they belonged to an organization called Akatsuki. They're going around to all the hidden villages and searching for ninjas of power, but no one knows why. We thought they would definitely come here because of Gaara. The Kazekage told us to alert all our active people, and then I have to let Gaara know-" The stares she received silenced her quickly.
"You have to what?" Seishin asked, ignoring the now-burning pancake.
"I told the Kazekage that I would let Gaara know that Akatsuki might be after him. Kurai didn't want me to either, but he has to know! If they manage to catch him off-guard, the whole village could be in danger."
"She's right," Inkei agreed. "That new attack of his could flatten everything."
"Since when do you know Gaara's attacks?" Naiteki demanded.
"Um, since Daichi and I snuck out to watch him practice one day."
"You what!" both parents practically screamed. Inkei held up his hands in a surrendering gesture, and Senjo was even staring at him in shock.
"It was his idea. We snuck out after school last week, and found Gaara out at the cliffs. He's got this new attack that moves a whole mountain of sand, but I don't know what it's called. Daichi wants to try and learn it, but I told him that I was much happier staying the heck away from Gaara. He creeps me out."
"He should," Seishin said as he frowned. "You, mister, are grounded. Not only for sneaking out, but for putting yourself in danger. I might have to speak to Taru about what Daichi's doing."
"NO!" Senjo and Inkei both yelled.
"Dad, please, Hajino-san would never understand his reasoning," Senjo said.
"That guy scares me more than Gaara," Inkei added. "Daichi wouldn't see the light of day until he graduated the academy, if then. Come on, let me talk to him. I'll tell him that I got in trouble, and then maybe he won't go alone."
"And I'll tell Kohaku what happened, and she'll talk with him as well."
"All right, all right. But from now on, no one goes near him without a good reason. Senjo, your orders qualify as a good reason. I don't care if he has changed, I still don't trust him."
"Seishin, you don't trust anyone," Naiteki teased.
"Hey, that's not true. The only other people I never really trusted were that strange Orochimaru guy and that jerk Kuro that Senjo used to hang out with."
"If you never trusted Kuro, why let me near him?" Seishin raised an eyebrow and placed a gentle hand on Senjo's shoulder.
"Would you really have believed your father saying some guy wasn't good for you? That's why I'm glad you started hanging out with Kohaku. Much as Kurai has his quirks, he's a decent kid." There was a knock on the door, and Senjo stood up.
"That'll be Kohaku. Mom, dad, would you let all the shinobi at your stations know about Akatsuki? That'll make our jobs a little easier."
"Sure thing."
"I assume they aren't hard to miss?"
"For you, mother, no. The two we saw had incredible amounts of chakra trailing off them, and were dressed in red and black robes with straw hats. All of them are missing-nins and S-rank criminals."
"Very good. Now hurry up before you're all behind on your mission," Naiteki said as Senjo nodded and ran to the door. Kohaku and Kurai were both there, vests on, and Kohaku's staff firmly in her hands.
"Ready to go?" the brunette asked as she smiled.
"Ready." The trio began walking down the street, all of them silent.
"Senjo, I was thinking that it might be easier of you went and spoke to Gaara first," Kurai suddenly said. "You know, get it over with."
"Um, sure, Kurai-kun. What will you two be doing?"
"Kurai's going to let everyone inside the village know. I'll be seeing to all the border patrols."
"Well, I told my parents what was going on, and they'll both let their stations know. My father's patrol is guarding the Kazekage today, so you can skip that building."
"Right. We'll regroup later tonight at our house. For now, let's start this mission." Kurai was alone a minute later as the girls headed to their destinations.
The wind was beginning to pick up again as Senjo arrived at the cliffs, and she pulled her vest tighter around her. Not that it blocked anything, but the sturdy cloth gave her comfort, and she needed all she could get. Suddenly the sand she was on began shifting, and she jumped to the rock wall as she watched what looked like a tidal wave of sand begin forming. "I wonder. Inkei said Gaara's new technique moves a lot of sand." Running along the cliff wall, Senjo followed the wave as close as she dared, finally having to run up to avoid it as it suddenly changed directions. Catching her breath on the top of the cliff, she kept watching as the wave crashed into the deep desert, and the ground shook as the dunes shifted and flowed like water. "What power."
"Is there a reason you are disturbing my training, Tanamari Senjo?" a voice said behind her. Senjo whirled to see Gaara standing a little ways away, arms over his chest. He was dressed differently than last she'd seen, now in brown pants and a matching long-sleeved duster jacket. His eyes never wavered from her, and she saw a stream of sand rise up the cliff and into his gourd.
"Hello Gaara," she greeted as she stood, forcing her voice to come out normal. It wasn't easy, even though she believed that he had changed. Too many years of thinking of him as a monster were still engrained in her, but she began walking over to him. "I won't take up too much of your time."
"What do you want?" he asked, shifting his attention from her to the desert.
"I came to warn you about something that happened in Konoha." When he didn't respond, she just decided to tell him flat out. "There's an organization called Akatsuki going around the countries and taking other ninjas. My team thought they might come for you because of… Well, you know."
"Because of the Shukaku?"
"Yes. And the Kazekage told me to warn you in case they saw you on a mission. The two we saw wore black-and-red robes and straw traveling hats. I'm not sure if they were trying to hide it or not, but their chakras were incredible, and we could sense them from quite a distance."
"Is that all?" His tone was flat, like he didn't care that she had come all this way to let him know his life could be in danger. Senjo's hand curled into a fist, but she knew it wouldn't help. He was Gaara, and the mistreatment he'd had all those years made him wary of everyone, if not downright hostile. But then Naruto's face popped into her mind, and she knew that in order to be a friend to him, she needed to try.
"Actually, I also have a message for you. From Uzumaki Naruto." His head turned, and a questioning look was in his eyes. She stepped closer, the gap between them now at five feet. "When I was there, I was able to talk with him. Before I left, I asked him a question. I asked him what he would do if he saw you again." His eyes were wide now, and Senjo took another step forward. "He said, that he would thank you." Another step, and she felt her body began to relax a little. "And then he said he would ask if you wanted to be his friend." She was now only a foot away, and Gaara still had not moved. Reaching out, she placed one hand lightly on his shoulder, and he looked up at her with wide eyes, like a child.
"Why would he say that?"
"He knows what you went through, Gaara. He said the only difference between you two was that he has friends, and you are all alone. But where you turned to the complete destruction of everything, Naruto wanted to better himself so that he would one day be accepted. Why do you think he wants to be Hokage so badly?" There was a spark of understanding in his eyes, and Senjo kept going: "I'm sorry you had to live like this, and I want to make it up to you." He didn't pull away, but she saw him frown slightly as he continued to stare at her.
"And what did you plan to do?" Again the flat tone, but she didn't care anymore.
"I want to be your friend too, if you'll let me." He glared at her then, like she had just offered to sell him her soul. He shrugged her hand off, but didn't move.
"I don't have any friends. Why would I need a bunch of cowards for friends? Everyone has hated me since the moment I was born. I am better off as I always have been: Alone." Again she was beside him, but she kept her hands at her sides this time.
"I don't hate you, Gaara. I might still be a little afraid, but I'm willing to get over that if you're willing to accept my offer." He turned away, and she resisted the urge to hug him like Kohaku had done for her. "Gaara, one more thing, and then I'll leave you alone. I know what it's like not to have any real friends either. When I was still in school, all I had was this guy Kuro, and he was anything but a friend. But then a real friend came to me, and she helped me realize my own worth as not only a person, but as a ninja. Kohaku and I were lucky to be on the same team, and we've only grown closer. I don't know exactly what you've been through, but Naruto does, and he wants to be your friend too. People can change, but sometimes we have to change along with them." She turned to go, when a hand on her arm stopped her. Gaara was beside her, a blank look on his face that slowly changed to what might've been his version of a smile.
"I will consider Naruto's words. And yours." He walked away, and she watched him go. Then she turned her own eyes to the desert, and thought once more of the blonde Konoha boy, and what she had seen in his mind.
"Naruto, I think you're closer to being Hokage than even you know. Thank you."
Kohaku was beginning her trek back to the village when she happened to see what looked like a large bird floating towards her. A minute passed before she recognized Shooting Star and saw Temari raise her hand in greeting. "I didn't know you three were out here. Are you returning from a mission?" But it seemed the older girl was all alone, and Kohaku breathed a quick sigh of relief. She hadn't actually wanted to see either Kankuro or Gaara at the moment anyway.
"Training," the blonde replied as she landed and folded the fan. Kohaku noticed dried blood on its folds and quirked an eyebrow. "I'm working on summoning. It could be useful one day."
"I prefer my ninjutsu and staff," Kohaku said as she patted the weapon secured to her back and began walking again. Temari fell into step beside her, and they moved in silence for a while.
"You don't normally wear your rank so openly. What's the occasion?"
"Possible trouble. A couple of S-rank missing-nins were in Konoha recently, looking for ninjas of considerable power. Apparently Akatsuki, their organization, is sending out groups to all the hidden villages. The Kazekage told us to warn the whole village, especially your brother."
"Who do you think they were after in Konoha?"
"I have a few ideas. So, how are things here? Have we recovered enough to begin full squad missions?"
"Considering how we've actually been getting quite a few recently, I'd say so."
"Maybe our lord realized how foolish it was not to use his own village. Or he's scared of us." They laughed, then went silent again as they continued on for a little while. Temari finally broke the stillness.
"Kohaku, I just want you to know-"
"Look Temari, I'm not here to say "I told you so". What happened on that mission is something no one could've predicted."
"Still, your clan, your father especially, didn't want Gaara going. He was too unstable, too violent." She paused for a moment. "And they were right."
"You and Kankuro did what you could, I'm sure. Shukaku is not easily controlled or contained, especially by a twelve year-old."
"You still hate him, don't you?"
"Why ask me that question when you already know the answer?" Temari sighed and turned to gaze at the cloudless sky.
"He's changed, Kohaku. You didn't see him lying defeated on the ground, afraid of the Leaf boy that was crawling towards him. Gaara doesn't show fear, but he was terrified of this kid. He just seemed so submissive by the time Kankuro and I got there."
"Senjo met that boy. His name is Uzumaki Naruto, one of the oddest ninjas I have ever encountered. She says he beat Gaara almost single-handedly."
"I wouldn't know. When Shukaku came out I looked for the nearest shelter, and that's when I found Kankuro. We didn't make it back to Gaara until after the fight. But something happened between them, I'm sure of it. As we were heading home, Gaara said something rather odd."
"What?"
"He said he was sorry."
"Sorry? He doesn't even know what that word means." When Temari frowned at her, Kohaku waved her hands to dismiss the comment. "He's still dangerous, no matter what was said to him. I'll believe he's changed when I see it."
"And Kurai?"
"Kurai is the same as my father. Neither will ever stop trying to prove their superiority, and they won't admit defeat."
"Is all that really just because they feel your bloodline has been slighted?"
"Temari, we went to war because our village had been slighted. Do you really think that one family's personal crusade is any different? You have your own feelings about your brother, and we have ours. We respectfully disagree on that, right?"
"I never will be able to change your opinion, so I suppose so."
"Don't say never. I'm not like my brother, but I do have my own prejudices regarding certain things. I'd be willing to rethink my views on Gaara, but not until I see a complete change in him. Such as not being such an arrogant prick."
"Kurai is the same way." Kohaku smiled dryly and then shrugged.
"He's family, so I can't help but care about him no matter how much he might annoy me. And I can be just as arrogant sometimes, but not to Gaara's extent."
"But he was only ever beaten once. By Naruto."
"Maybe he should get beaten more often if this is the kind of reaction he has." They had reached the village gates, and Kohaku turned left, while Temari faced the other way. "It's nothing personal, you know. I still admire you, Temari."
"I know."
"You should've gone to the Chuunin exam before the mission. Regardless of your brothers, you would've made it."
"I know. I just had some bad luck as to when I went."
"Next time you won't have any missions like that. I think I'll go see that exam. It would be fun watching you ride Shooting Star all the way to the top."
"Thanks. We'll have to see what the future holds." The girls parted ways, and Kohaku smiled to herself as she headed back to report in.
"And once you become Chuunin, I'll have someone to prove myself against."
Kurai returned home later that day to find Daichi practicing alone in the bare-earth room. "Where are mother and father?"
"Mother is shopping for dinner, and father is talking to the rest of the family about what you told him. I don't know when they'll be home." The younger boy stood still for a moment, eyes closed. Kurai could feel him gathering chakra, yet nothing happened.
"What are you doing?"
"Trying a new technique. Want to see?" A moment later, Kurai was next to him, smirk firmly in place.
"There's isn't a technique you can learn that I don't already know. But I'll humor you this once." Daichi frowned, but bowed to his brother before aiming a kick at his legs, which the older boy dodged. Kurai managed to land a punch to his chest, but was slightly surprised when Daichi wasn't winded.
"Great, it works." The kunais were out then, both sizing up the other. Daichi caught Kurai across the arm, but he ignored the cut.
"What technique is this? All you did was take a punch without falling down."
"Exactly." Kurai was now very confused, and a little ticked off. The smile on Daichi's face had widened, like he knew a big secret and didn't feel like sharing. There was no way his little brother was going to win this match. Gathering some chakra in his legs, he was suddenly right in front of Daichi, blade up and cutting across his chest. But instead of blood, sand trickled out, and Daichi backpedaled. Eyes wide, mouth slightly agape, Kurai was staring at him as the sand stopped flowing.
"Where did you learn the sand armor?"
"I haven't mastered it yet, but-"
"Where did you learn it!"
"I saw Gaara using-" Every word out of Daichi's mouth kept making the situation worse, and Kurai's grip tightened around the kunai.
"When? Where? Why?"
"I sometimes watch him train. What's wrong-"
"No, stop. You can't. Never again." Turning away, Kurai tried to calm himself, but found he couldn't. He'd been watching Gaara? This went way beyond any kind of research. No, it was almost like Daichi idolized that monster. His little brother, one of the heirs of the Hajino clan, idolizing Shukaku's vessel? After all that their father and the others had lost, this was how Daichi repaid them? Through what would be considered an act of treason against the clan?
"Why not?" Daichi broke into his thoughts, annoyance in his voice. "I was only-" Kurai spun, kunai coming up on instinct and slashing the younger boy from above his left eye to the right corner of his mouth
"Shut up!" Kurai yelled. Daichi screamed, his own blade falling to the ground as he went to his knees. Both hands were on his face, trying to stop the bleeding. Kurai picked him up by the front of his shirt, eyes dark as he glared at the boy. "This was an accident," he hissed. "If you say anything different, I'll give you worse. And if I catch you ever using one of that monster's techniques again, I'll tell father." All Daichi could do was whimper, and Kurai released his hold and watched him fall on the ground, staring up with a scared expression, like he thought Kurai might kill him.
"Daichi, are you all- Kurai, what the hell happened?" Kohaku demanded as she burst into the room, staff clutched in her hands.
"Just a training accident, right Daichi?" The younger boy nodded silently, whimpers quieting down. Kurai brushed past his sister and walked outside, slamming the door behind him. A moment later Kohaku was beside her little brother, pulling him into her lap and yanking off one of her armguards with her teeth. She used it to stem the blood flow, trying to figure out where the actual wound was.
"What happened?" she asked once Daichi was calmer.
"It was just an accident-"
"I don't believe that, Daichi. Now, tell me the truth. If you two had a fight, I won't tell mother or father. But I need to know what happened."
"Well- I was- I tried to- I-was-using-one-of-Gaara's-techniques-and-Kurai-got-mad!" The last bit was said so fast that Kohaku wasn't sure she'd heard him right.
"You were what and Kurai what?"
"I was using the sand armor, that technique Gaara always has up when he goes on missions. Well, I kind of know how to do it, and was trying it out when Kurai and I were sparring. But he got so angry, and when I tried to ask why it was such a big deal, he did this." He pointed at his face, where the wound was still bleeding, but not as bad.
"You're probably going to have a nice scar there, kid. Face wounds don't heal all the way sometimes. Come on, let's get you over to the medical building."
"No!" He tugged on her arm when she stood, and Kohaku stared at him, confused and a little worried.
"Why not?"
"Can't you just patch it up? Or find Senjo and have her do it?"
"Daichi, you really should have it looked at by one of the med-nins."
"But they'll tell father."
"He's going to notice anyway."
"Can Senjo use a genjutsu and hide it? I don't want him knowing! Father will keep asking where I got it, and I can't lie to him easily. He'll know something happened, and then he'll ask Kurai, and then I'll be disowned!"
"Disowned? Where did you get that crazy idea?"
"Because I don't hate Gaara like everyone else. Kohaku, please listen to me. He isn't someone we should hate or fear, but someone we should try and be like. Gaara is what we all could be if we practiced hard enough. I know that it's because of Shukaku, but that doesn't matter in the long run. If we ever hope to beat Gaara, we have to know his techniques so that we can master them and then improve on the original. Our bloodline needs to embrace what he can do, or else we'll always be considered second-best. That's what father and the others are afraid of. They don't want to be bested by a child who doesn't share our blood."
"Daichi, I- You really believe that, don't you?"
"That's why father is always harping on you and Kurai to be the best at everything. Remember when we all thought you wouldn't be able to use your arms again?" Kohaku shuddered as she remembered the months she'd spent fighting to gain not only movement, but normal movement in her shattered limbs.
"Yes. I had to wait until the next Chuunin exam to go, and Kurai was pissed."
"Well, father was on his back the whole time you were in the hospital, saying how now it was all up to him to carry on the family legacy and restore our honor. I know that Kurai took it all to heart, and it bothered him that he had to wait to prove himself to the lords and the other villages. Father is the one who hates Gaara, and he's made you two hate him because of that without stopping to think what you might want. I mean, what if neither of you wanted to become ninjas?"
"Everyone in our line has been a ninja, or tried to be. It isn't something we so much want, as something we have to do."
"Well, I don't want that. I'm going to be the first Hajino to become a med-nin."
"Med-nin? How are you going to pull that off?"
"I just need to have perfect chakra control, and I've been working a lot on that. And some of Gaara's techniques have helped me, like the sand armor. It takes a lot of control and a lot of chakra to keep it in place, so I can only do patches right now. But I've been able to hold it in place for an hour on my arm, and I get better all the time!" Kohaku was surprised at Daichi's insistence in all this, but she smiled slightly to see how much he had grown up since entering the academy. He and Inkei had been known to pull pranks on each other and on their siblings, but that seemed to have given way to more adult motivations, and she was glad for that at least.
"All right, Daichi, I won't make you go to the medical building. But we should go find Senjo or her mother and see if there's something they can do until we can find an excuse to allow that wound to show." Slowly removing the now blood-soaked armguard, Kohaku saw that the wound was no longer bleeding, but looked a little red and raw. "Come on, kid. On your feet." She pulled him up carefully and steadied his walking when he lost his balance.
"I feel all woozy."
"You'll be like that for a little while. But I think you'll live to spy on Gaara another day."
"You won't tell father?"
"I won't tell father as long as your promise to be careful and not annoy Kurai again. I can't protect you from him."
"I don't want you to. One day I'll be able to hold my own against him. And then maybe he'll start listening to me."
"The chances are better that he'll see Makoto again. Now all we need to do is find Senjo. And if I were that redhead, where would I be?"
"Following Kurai?" Kohaku sighed and looked down at her brother.
"Unfortunately, yes. Let's go track him down, but we'll stay out of sight."
Senjo was coming out of the Kazekage's office when she saw her father sitting at the end of the hall, watching the guards at the entrance to the building. "Working hard?"
"Always," he replied with a smile. "How did it go?"
"With Gaara? It went fine. I said what I needed to, and he was his typical self and didn't really give me an answer."
"Well, as long as you're okay. It's your turn to cook dinner tonight, by the way. Your mother has a new prisoner to deal with."
"From today?"
"One of the border patrols caught a Sound ninja all the way out here, snooping around the cliffs. They're going to try and find out what he was doing, especially because of last time."
"Right. Okay, I'll have to stop by the market and get a few things. What do you and Inkei want?"
"Anything not burned. Your mother's a lousy cook when she has things on her mind. But don't tell her that." Seishin smiled, and Senjo rolled her eyes and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek.
"Yes dad. I'll see you at home later, assuming Inkei hasn't wrecked the place." Heading out, Senjo turned down one of the main streets to take a shortcut to the market, when a figure detached itself from the wall nearby.
"We need to talk," Kurai stated as he came into the light.
"Can we do that and walk? I need to get things for dinner."
"Sure." They walked in silence for a few minutes, and Senjo noticed that Kurai had his hands shoved in his pockets. He was also looking everywhere but at her, which caused her to frown slightly as she tugged lightly on his vest.
"What did you want to talk about?"
"I'm going to be leaving the village for a little while to train with my father and a few others from my family. We leave tomorrow morning."
"How long will you be gone?"
"I don't know for certain, but at least a month."
"When did you find out? The night we got back?"
"Yeah. Father said that I need to focus more on my bloodline now that there's a possibility of S-rank ninjas coming to the village. He also told me that I need to perfect my techniques before I become a Jounin."
"Kurai-kun, we've only been Chuunins for less than a year. He doesn't really expect you to-"
"He expects me to be Jounin by this time next year, if not sooner. This training I'll be doing will help me with that. Senjo, just promise me something."
"Anything, just name it."
"Promise that you'll wait for me." She was stunned, and stopped walking only to stare at him. He still wasn't looking at her, and she brushed her fingers across his cheek.
"Is that what's bothering you? You think I'll find someone else and forget about you? Kurai-kun, you know I'd never do that." He looked up then, and she was surprised to see a bit of hurt, and possibly- Was that fear she saw?
"Makoto promised me that once, too."
"I'm not Makoto. Kurai-kun, I don't know what she did, but I could never hurt you. No matter how long your training goes, no matter what happens here, I will always be here for you. You should know that by now."
"Sometimes I don't know what I know. But I trust you, Senjo-chan." He embraced her, and she held him tightly for a moment, eyes closed. This was the Kurai she'd fallen in love with, not the boy she'd seen last night.
"Come see me when you're back. And if I'm on a mission, leave a note. Just do me a favor, okay?"
"All right."
"Don't let your father and the others cloud your judgment. Don't become them. Just be Kurai, okay?" He seemed puzzled, but shrugged and nodded. They embraced again, and Senjo gave him a quick kiss on the cheek before he could protest. When they broke apart, Kurai turned towards his house, and Senjo continued towards the market. Further behind them, Kohaku and Daichi were standing in the side shadow of a building.
"So what does this mean?" Daichi asked.
"I don't know yet. But at least our lives won't be that difficult for a little while. Kurai on the other hand… Oh, I hope he gets through that training in one piece."
"You think father and the others would hurt him?"
"I think they'll do whatever it takes to make sure that Kurai embodies all the aspects of our clan, good and bad. Our brother's going to be very different when he comes home, Daichi. Just prepare yourself."